Veracruz dry forests


The Veracruz dry forests are a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion located in central Veracruz, Mexico. They cover an area of. The dry climate is a result of the rain shadow created by the Sierra de Chiconquiaco. The forests receive < of annual rainfall, and a long dry season forces many plants to be deciduous. Soils are derived from sedimentary rocks and are calcareous.

Flora

Cordia dodecandra, Tabebuia chrysantha, Piscidia piscipula, Crescentia alata, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Ehretia tenuifolia and Tabebuia rosea are dominant species. Succulents are abundant and include species of Acanthocereus, Agave and Opuntia. Epiphytes and shrubs in the genera Acacia, Bursera, Ficus, Phyllanthus, and Pithecellobium have the greatest diversity of species. Herbaceous plants are scarce.

Fauna

Birds of the Veracruz dry forests include the sharp-shinned hawk, merlin, white-winged dove, lesser roadrunner, Mexican sheartail, Couch's kingbird, Swainson’s thrush, red-eyed vireo, magnolia warbler, and blue-black grassquit. The area is rich in herpetofauna such as the black-spotted newt, and Tabasco mud turtle.